Earthquakes visit Benioff Children's Hospital

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – San Jose Earthquakes players Matt Luzunaris and Sam Cronin paid a visit to UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in San Francisco, Calif. on Wednesday to spend time with kids in the outpatient and oncology wards.

Quakes forward Matt Luzunaris was particularly moved during his visit to Benioff. Luzunaris’ brother passed away from cancer and his girlfriend is now three weeks in remission after battling Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

San Jose returns to action on Sunday, Sept. 29 against Chivas USA at the StubHub Center in Carson, Calif. Kickoff for that game is 8 p.m. PT on Comcast SportsNet California, 1590 KLIV and 1370 KZSF.

San Jose’s Record in September
The Quakes are 33-23-11 all-time in September in MLS play.

Last Game

Earthquakes 2, Real Salt Lake 1; Sept. 21, 2013; Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah
The Earthquakes continued their push toward the MLS Cup Playoffs with an historic 2-1 win against Real Salt Lake in front of a sold out crowd at Rio Tinto Stadium. In addition to three points, the Earthquakes celebrated their 200th win since joining MLS in 1996. Their first came on April 6, 1996 at Spartan Stadium, a 1-0 result against D.C. United in the league’s inaugural game. The match saw a flurry of goals midway through the first half with Steven Lenhart opening the salvo in the 18th minute. Rafael Baca sprayed a pass from midfield to Cordell Cato on the wing. The Trinidadian took a touch and sent a perfectly-placed cross toward the near post where Lenhart dove for a glancing header past Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Nick Rimando. The hosts didn’t wait long to respond as Kyle Beckerman and Javier Morales linked up on a corner kick one minute later. Beckerman looped a pass toward the far post where an unmarked Morales tapped home the tying goal. Lenhart capped the scoring moments later with a powerful header from close range. Shea Salinas took a free kick from 35 yards out that pinpointed the target man mid-stride, sealing San Jose’s second road win of the season.

Chivas USA Scouting Report
Chivas USA (6-16-8, 26 pts.) enter the week ninth in the Western Conference. They are coming off a 5-1 road loss against the Houston Dynamo. However, despite the wide disparity in Texas, Chivas USA rattled off a stretch of 2-1-2 in their five games prior. Chivas de Guadelajara loanee Erick “Cubo” Torres has scored seven goals – three of which were game winners – since arriving in July.

Last Game vs. Chivas USA

Earthquakes 2, Chivas USA 0; Aug. 3, 2013; Buck Shaw Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.
Chris Wondolowski scored twice to lead the Earthquakes to a 2-0 win against Chivas USA in front of a sold out crowd of 10,525 at Buck Shaw Stadium. The game was Wondolowski’s first with San Jose since his CONCACAF Gold Cup championship run with the United States Men’s National Team. The reigning Volkswagen MLS Most Valuable Player left his footprint with a goal just before halftime and then sealed the match with another midway through the second half. The Earthquakes’ first tally came in the 45th minute as Steven Beitashour sent a perfectly weighted pass from his defensive half to Victor Bernardez in the area. The Honduran center back leapt and headed a pass across the goal face to Wondolowski for the finish. Wondolowski doubled his haul in the 87th minute, this time pouncing on a loose ball in the box. Adam Jahn slotted a pass to Shea Salinas on the right side of the area where the speedy winger blasted a shot on target, forcing Chivas USA goalkeeper Dan Kennedy to make a difficult save. However, Wondolowski was first to the rebound off of Kennedy’s hands, chipping in his second strike from close range to up his 2013 goal total to seven. United States defender Clarence Goodson made his San Jose debut, starting and playing 90 minutes. He helped anchor a backline that also featured Beitashour, Bernardez and Englishman Jordan Stewart. Also making his Earthquake debut was Salvadoran international Jaime Alas. The crafty winger entered for Cordell Cato in the 77th minute.

History of the Earthquakes-Chivas USA Rivalry
The two teams met for the first time on April 9, 2005, at Spartan Stadium, playing to a wild 3-3 draw … During the 2005 season, San Jose and Chivas USA met on three additional occasions: a 1-1 draw on June 12 at The Home Depot Center, a 3-0 win for the Earthquakes on Sept. 10 at Spartan Stadium, and a come-from-behind 2-1 Quakes victory on Sept. 17 in Carson in which Alejandro Moreno notched the 93rd-minute winner against his current club … Following that four-game unbeaten run by San Jose to begin the all-time series between the sides, Chivas USA has held the edge since the Quakes’ return in 2008, posting a 6-1-2 record over nine matches … The Quakes’ lone win during the stretch came on Oct. 20, 2010, when Chris Wondolowski posted a hat trick over 17 minutes after only coming off the bench in the 40th minute, for a 3-0 result at Buck Shaw … Chivas USA got an 85th-minute winner from Mariano Trujillo for a come-from-behind 2-1 win in the last meeting at Buck Shaw on April 23, 2011 … Wondolowski had given the Quakes a 1-0 lead in the 16th minute, with Moreno leveling the score for the Goats in first-half stoppage time … Chivas USA went on to sweep the 2011 season series with a 2-0 home shutout on July 6 … The two teams tied 1-1 in their first meeting of 2012 on May 13 with Alan Gordon providing a dramatic 89th-minute equalizer … On Sept. 2, 2012, the Earthquakes defeated Chivas USA for the second time since rejoining MLS in 2008, knocking off their Southern California counterpart 4-0 … San Jose built on that win with another on Sept. 6, 2012, knocking off Chivas USA 2-0 at The Home Depot Center for the first time since 2005 … In 2013, the Earthquakes drew 1-1 in their first meeting with Chivas USA at The Home Depot Center, which has since been renamed the StubHub Center … Chris Wondolowski recorded a brace to lead San Jose to a 2-0 win against Chivas USA in their second meeting of 2013 on Aug. 4, a match that saw the debuts of Clarence Goodson and Jaime Alas for the Earthquakes.

Earthquakes Leaders vs. Chivas USA
Forward Alan Gordon has seven goals and two assists in 12 appearances … Forward Chris Wondolowski has nine goals and two assists in 14 appearances … Defender Ramiro Corrales has two goals and one assist in 11 appearances … Goalkeeper Jon Busch is 7-3-2 with six shutouts.

Chivas USA Leaders vs. San Jose
Midfielder Eric Avila has one goal in eight games … Forward Tristan Bowen has one goal in five games … Forward Jose Correa has one goal in four games … Goalkeeper Dan Kennedy is 3-3-2 with two shutouts.

COMMUNITY SCHEDULE

Wells Fargo Financial Literacy Presentation
Who: Earthquakes player Justin Morrow
Where: Overfelt High School in San Jose
When: Thursday, September 26 from 1:30 – 3:00 p.m.
Details: Justin will be speaking to high school students about the importance of saving money for college, paying their bills on time and building credit.

Milestone Alert
The Earthquakes celebrated their 200th win in club history on Saturday, Sept. 21 with a 2-1 result against Real Salt Lake … Midfielder Shea Salinas is one assist away from tying Ian Russell for No. 10 on the club’s career list … Forward Chris Wondolowski (131) is one appearances away from tying John Doyle (132) for No. 7 on the club’s all-time games list … Wondolowski (122) is also one start away from surpassing Troy Dayak for No. 8 all-time … Goalkeeper Jon Busch is one shutout away from surpassing Matt Reis for No. 5 on the MLS all-time list; both have 73 … Ramiro Corrales is one game away from No. 250 in his Earthquakes’ career … Steven Lenhart (19) and Alan Gordon (18) are both closing in on Jeff Baicher (20) for No. 7 on the club’s all-time goals list.

Lenhart, Gordon Moving Up All-Time Goals List
Steven Lenhart surpassed Ryan Johnson and teammate Alan Gordon for No. 8 on the club’s all-time goals list with his brace against Real Salt Lake on Saturday. Lenhart has scored 19 goals in 48 games since joining the club during the 2011 offseason via trade. Meanwhile, Gordon has racked up 18 goals in 45 games since moving from Portland to San Jose in a trade toward the end of 2012. Jeff Baicher is No. 7 on the list with 20 goals while Chis Wondolowski tops everyone with 72 goals in 131 games.

Hernandez Moves Past Barrett for Career Mark
Jason Hernandez made his 143rd career appearance with the Earthquakes in San Jose’s 2-1 win against Real Salt Lake on Saturday, moving him past Wade Barrett for No. 5 on the club’s all-time list. Hernandez replaced an injured Clarence Goodson in the 71st minute, upping his total minutes played in San Jose to 12,257 – 125 behind Ronald Cerritos for No. 4 in club history.

Wondolowski Moving Up Career Charts
Chris Wondolowski made his 131st appearance and 122nd start for the Earthquakes in Saturday’s 2-1 win at Real Salt Lake, moving him up both respective lists. He is now tied with Ian Russell for No. 8 and one behind John Doyle for No. 7 on the club’s all-time appearance list and is tied with Troy Dayak for No. 8 on the club’s career starts list.

Iron Man
The Earthquakes have one player that has played every minute of all 30 matches this season, Jon Busch. Sam Cronin is the only other player on the squad to start all 30 matches; he has logged 2,211 minutes in the process.

CONCACAF Champions League Schedule
The Earthquakes will play four CONCACAF Champions League matches in group play after qualifying for the tournament by virtue of their Supporters’ Shield win in 2012. The schedule is as follows:

T-Mobile 4G Power Zone Back for 2013
The Earthquakes have teamed with T-Mobile for the second year in a row to create the “T-Mobile 4G Power Zone” at all home games for the 2013 season. The promotion will give fans the opportunity to purchase great seats for only $17 – a discount of $10 off the day-of-game price, the most affordable Earthquakes tickets available to the public. Through the agreement, T-Mobile has rebranded the Corner Flag Section 107 at Buck Shaw Stadium in Santa Clara as the “T-Mobile 4G Power Zone.” For more information, visit www.sjearthquakes.com/tickets.

Quakes President Dave Kaval’s Office Hours
Earthquakes President Dave Kaval’s office hours will continue in 2013. Fans can drop by his office at 451 El Camino Real, Suite 201 in Santa Clara, Calif., on Tuesdays between 3 and 5 p.m. PT. Participants will be seen on a first come, first served basis. Be sure to read his blog, Kaval’s Kickoff, exclusively at www.sjearthquakes.com, and follow him on Twitter at @QuakesPrez.

Wells Fargo Goals for Education
Wells Fargo has again pledged to donate $250 for each goal the Earthquakes score in 2013 through the Goals for Education program. The club has raised $7,750 so far this season thanks to 31 goals. The Earthquakes raised $18,000 in 2012 after scoring a club record 72 goals.

ACADEMY NOTES

U-14 Update
The Earthquakes’ U-14 Academy squad had to reschedule its match against Placer United Soccer Club after a rainout. They return to action on Saturday, Sept. 28 against San Mateo County Star at San Mateo High School.

U-16 Update
The Earthquakes’ U-16 Academy squad lost 1-0 against Arsenal FC on Saturday and routed Real SoCal 3-0 on Sunday. Three different Quakes players got on the scoresheet in their win, including Yousef Diyab, Philip Hausen and Jonathan Partida. Remi Prieur got the start in goal and picked up the clean sheet.

U-18 Update
The Earthquakes’ U-18 Academy squad tied Arsenal FC 0-0 and lost in a shootout 6-3 against Real SoCal over the weekend. Both games were played in the Bay Area. They return to action on Saturday, Oct. 5 against the Portland Timbers at the Timbers Training Facility in Portland and Sunday, Oct. 6 against Seattle Sounders FC at the Starfire Sports Complex in Seattle.

Related Links

Luzunaris and Cronin played video games, watched clips of movies, talked about sports and socialized with 11 children fighting various illnesses as well as their families. Luzunaris even tried to juggle for a shy patient. Each kid received a mini soccer ball, San Jose Earthquakes stickers, autographed pictures, and had the opportunity to take photos with San Jose’s players.

“You can tell that it has really made a difference in each patient’s day, especially if it is a patient that enjoys soccer,” said Child Care Specialist, Stephanie Nobles. “Even if the patients are not as familiar with soccer, it is just something to brighten their day. It is great for them to meet new people and provide a sort of distraction from their day to day of being in a hospital setting. Everybody is smiling and laughing and really enjoying each other.”

One enthusiastic nine year old named Kevin showed off his Game Cube skills and greeted the players every time they walked by. He is a very proud big brother and tenderly introduced the players to his baby sister, Katie, who was just as excited about the new soccer balls.

Every child was eager to meet the players and waited patiently as they made their rounds. The San Jose Earthquakes put a lot of smiles on their faces, and were asked to visit again soon.